2nd Close Call at JFK Prompts Procedure Overhaul

For the second time in two weeks, catastrophe was averted at JFK airport when two planes came close to a midair collision after one of the planes aborted a landing to do a go around and because the runway operations at the airport are often perpendicular to each other meant that the landing plane veered into the space where another plane was in the process of taking off.

The FAA has moved to change the landing and take off procedures to avoid this kind of situation.

However, as a result of the close calls, the FAA rammed new takeoff and landing procedures into effect for perpendicular runways.

The FAA has "terminated that perpendicular simultaneous approach procedure," according to Dean Iacopelli, a spokesman for the New York National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

The new rules will ensure "that aircraft of one runway clear out of the path of the other runway before the second flight comes down on the runway," Brown said.

Delta spokeswoman Gina Laughlin said the pilot "followed procedures . . . they are trained to execute these types of aborted landings."

Last Saturday, an inbound Cayman Airways flight was slated to land on runway 22L, while an LAN jet headed for Santiago, Chile, was taking off on perpendicular runway 13R.

Air traffic controllers realized the jets were headed for the same air space.

"I need a left turn! A quick left turn," one of the controllers began screaming over the radio.